Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Rule Book

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

10 reviews

laheath's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Sweet romance with a male lead pining for the girl who broke his heart in college. When she was being an adult, the story was great, but there were so many times that she was immature in various ways.

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embroidery_by_booklover's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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kaelynbyers's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I have nothing bad to say about this book. I would give it 100 stars out of 5 if I could.

Everything Sarah Adams writes turns to gold. EVERYTHING.

I swear, every single time I read a new release from Sarah Adams it becomes my favorite book that she has ever written. And The Rule Book is no exception.

From start to finish, this book is perfection to me.
Nora is bright and completely herself but also tired of being too much for those around her.
Derek is strong and reserved but also terrified to lose the one thing he has always been good at.
And together, Nora and Derek are the perfect pair. Funny and honest. Competitive and loving. Confident and safe. I don't think I will ever get over them.

I love this book. It is my happy place. It is a warm hug on a cold day.
I will never get over my love for this book.

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readingonthefly's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There are just no words I can formulate for a review of this book. I’m just fully obsessed. Derek and Nora are just the cutest couple there ever was. The banter, Nora’s silly jokes, the flirting, 😭 why is it over already?!

“Maybe one day it won't feel like such a struggle to simply exist as a woman in my field, but today is not that day. So I'll continue to fight with all I've got to prove I belong here.”

As a female who graduated college with a Sport and Recreation Management degree and who wanted to work in sports, this was a great representation of what it is unfortunately like to this day in the sporting industry. While I loved my time working in sports, I realized I liked watching them better. I loved having something in common with the MCs of this book.

Huge fan all around of this book, the characters, and Sarah Adams. Love u girlie

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ella_chu's review

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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turnthepages_nl's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I LOVE ITTTTTT

Nora is ADHD coded. I felt so seen!!! (Not intentionally written as ADHD, I checked with the author. But it still feels like ADHD, at least in the way how it looks in me!)

Derek has dyslexia and was diagnosed later in life. He has not been treated well as a child and has a big sense of failure. The journey he goes on was truly beautiful and I felt so seen as a neurodivergent reader. The feeling of not being enough, how you try your hardest and still you 'fail' in the eyes of society. The way this was talked about and handled was done very very well.

Nora is often seen as too much. And she is learning and growing to become fully herself and not feel sorry about it. She is super badass and very good at what she does as an agent. And I loved the relationship between her an Nicole (her boss and mentor). The way both women are going about the powerimbalance in the workplace. I loved how much of an example Nicole was to her!

But most of all I loved the emotional vulnerability between Nora & Derek. The way they are growing and learning to love and be open again. I was rooting for them from the very start. The sweet moments + the banter had me kicking my feet many times!

Also, the scenes with the other LA Shark boys were absolutely hilarious but also heartfelt.

Sarah Adams is an amazing author and truly has a gift for creating a safe and loving space for readers to feel seen and loved. To feel validated and supported. I hope she writes many many more stories! ✨️💕

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katebrownreads's review against another edition

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4.0

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ashs_bookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

*WARNING! I'm not sorry for the football puns*

~Hot Take~
I love Nora and Derek. I see myself in Nora, a little quirky & different. She does what she loves and isn't embarrassed about it. And Derek, he is a giant teddy bear with muscles.

🏈 Touch Down!
Anyone who loves sports, second chance, close proximity, Rom-Coms with a quirky, fun but determined FMMC and a take no shit, but gentle & caring beast of a MMC, this book is for you!

ExCollege sweethearts are reunited when Nora Mackenzie's career comes to rest on Derek Penders' shoulders, BIG shoulders.
Their breakup in college was not handled well, more like fumbled. But Nora has worked too hard to become a sports agent, and in a world dominated by men who don't want her there, she has to stay focused. She can't let their past get in the way of her career. After all, that blindsided her before. But Derek holds a grudge. When Nora broke it off in college, there was no real explanation. She just left, leaving him heartbroken.So! A little game of revenge is what Derek wants to play.
Nora is given Derek as her first client, and this has to work! But Derek plans to make her quit. Rules are laid out, more so to make Nora's job difficult, but when a night in Vegas sees that Rule Book thrown out the hypothetical window, a new game is put in place to save both their careers.

NOREK (my portmanteau for these cuties) are the ultimate field goal! Their witty banter is fun and a huge part of the tension growing between them. There is burn🔥, I'm not talking grass burn. It's a slow and exciting burn. But the story isn't slow by any means. It is one of those books that holds your attention completely. You WILL shut out your own family to keep reading. Responsibilities? Who has them?

Characters we know and love from The Cheat Sheet return, bringing that comfortable & nostalgic feeling. As always, Sarah Adams writing has pace and immerses you in the characters' world, and makes you wish you could score a touchdown with book boyfriend Derek Pender.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶

*Thank you, @netgalley and @hachetteaus for this ARC for review consideration. These are 100% all my own opinions.*

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.75

Finished reading: March 4th 2024

"We all make choices in life and some of them are necessarily more gray than others. This is one of those times."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Headline Eternal in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Sarah Adams' writing, so you can imagine that I was shocked when I discovered that my first Netgalley wish granted in years turned out to be for her newest story The Rule Book. I enjoyed the first book The Cheat Sheet back when I read it in 2021, although I admit it wasn't my absolute favorite among her books... Still, I was VERY excited to receive the opportunity to read The Rule Book early. And WHAT a read it turned out to be! I loved every single minute of this enemy-to-lover slash second chance romance, and it's probably one of my top favorites by her.

While set in the same world as The Cheat Sheet and futuring a lot of the same characters, The Rule Book can easily be read as a stand-alone without missing out on too much. This is because this very much Derek and Nora's story, which is completely new. I can't deny that I loved seeing the rest of the characters again though, and their banter and friendship brought back great memories of the first book. The banter in general is one of the things that makes this story stand out; the interactions between Derek and Nora are simply brilliant and especially Nora uses some extremely hilarious phrases.

The Rule Book is part enemy-to-lover and part second chance romance; while the enemy part was shorter than I hoped it would be, there were plenty of funny moments to be found along the way. The story does feel more like a second chance romance during most of the plot, as it is pretty obvious how the two main characters still feel. The building up of tension is really well done though, and I especially loved the whole fake honeymoon and scenes set in Mexico. The whole story seems like an Easter hunt for romance tropes!

Part of the reason this story works so well (and her books in general for that matter) has a lot to do with its characters. Sarah Adams has a way of creating the most fantastic, relatable, flawed and likeable characters, and it was SO easy to start rooting for both Derek and Nora. True, certain aspects of their appearance and personality are quite cliche, but I personally didn't mind as I was having too much fun getting to know them better. The secondary characters are great as well, and already knowing most of them only made me enjoy meeting up with them even more.

The writing is flawless, and I literally couldn't stop reading. The Rule Book isn't just about the romance though, as there are quite a few more serious topics incorporated along the way. I especially appreciated how the story shone a light on dyslexia, parental pressure and gender inequality in the workspace, although they aren't the only topics discussed. The more serious topics helped balance out the lighter moments and resulted in a richer and dynamic plot. The sports/injury recovery angle also made for a great addition.

I might be biased, but I consider Sarah Adams to be one of my favorite romance authors and The Rule Book is one of her best stories to date. There is so much to love in this book, and I cannot recommend it enough if you enjoy the genre!

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dianaschmidty's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I honestly feel lucky to have gotten to read this so early.

𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴.

Dear Sarah Adams, thank you! I have been wanting more of this friend group since devouring The Cheat Sheet and I needed this.

This book was amazing. Sarah Adam’s witty banter is always amazing, but it also worked so well for this second chance romance! I believe this is her first second chance romance and I really need her to write another one. It really was the perfect second chance, with plenty of hurt feelings, but also a lot of fixing of miscommunication, healing, and forgiveness. Derek and Nora really felt like real people finding their way back to each other.

I loved Derek. All of his aspects! Heartbroken Derek was simultaneously devastating and heartwarming, Conniving Derek was simply funny, and Lovesick Derek was sweet. The many stages he goes through made him feel so real.

I related a lot to Nora. Her feelings of never thinking she’s enough while also being “too much” and refusing to change is something I can say I completely understand. It made her feel so real, because I think characters deemed “too much” often try to change and I love that she was unapologetically herself. I also love that Derek loved her for those things, not in spite. I think she grew so much in the book, especially in learning to accept Derek’s love.

Also, I loved this as Sarah Adams’ first open-door. I feel like it made so much sense for this book and these specific characters.

During this entire book, I couldn’t stop thinking of different Taylor Swift songs that fit Derek and Nora so well, so I decided to explain their character arcs in terms of Taylor Swift songs, because why not:

Nora - 𝙈𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣 to 𝙄 𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙒𝙚 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠 to 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝘿𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙣 𝙇𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 to 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬 to 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 to 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧

Derek - 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 to 𝙄𝙨 𝙄𝙩 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙉𝙤𝙬? to 𝙎𝙖𝙮 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙂𝙤 to 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙏𝙤𝙤 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡 to 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙒𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙉𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨/𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 to 𝘾𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 to 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 back to 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨

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